1、大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 121及答案与解析 Section C 0 Imagine being a slave in ancient Rome. Now remember being one. The second task, unlike the first, is crazy. If, as Im guessing, you never were a slave in ancient Rome, it follows that you cant remember being one but you can still let your imagination go aroun
2、d freely. With a bit of effort one can even imagine the impossible, such as discovering that Dick Cheney and Madonna are really the same person. It sounds like a platitude(陈词滥调 )that fiction is the realm of imagination, fact the realm of knowledge. Why did humans evolve the capacity to imagine alter
3、natives to reality? Was story-telling in prehistoric times like the peacocks tail, of no direct practical use but a good way of attracting a mate? It kept Scheherazade alive through those one thousand and one nights in the story. On further reflection, imagining turns out to be much more reality-dir
4、ected than the stereotype implies. If a child imagines the life of a slave in ancient Rome as mainly spent watching sports on TV, with occasional household chores, he is imagining it wrong. That is not what it was like to be a slave. The imagination is not just a random idea generator. The test is h
5、ow close you can come to imagining the life of a slave as it really was, not how far you can deviate from reality. A reality-directed faculty of imagination has clear survival value. By enabling you to imagine all sorts of scenarios, it alerts you to dangers and opportunities. You come across a cave
6、. You imagine wintering there with a warm fire opportunity. You imagine a bear waking up inside danger. Having imagined possibilities, you can take account of them in contingency(偶然 )planning. If a bear is in the cave, how do you deal with it? If you winter there, what do you do for food and drink?
7、Answering those questions involves more imagining, which must be reality-directed. 1 What can we learn from the first paragraph? （ A） Being a slave in ancient Rome is crazy. （ B） Humans memory is limitless. （ C） Humans imagination is powerful. （ D） The impossible is beyond imagination. 2 Why does th
8、e author mention the peacocks tail? （ A） To tell us some knowledge about peacocks. （ B） To tell us it has no direct practical use. （ C） To tell us story-telling is just like the peacocks tail. （ D） To compare it with imagination via the form of story-telling. 3 According to the passage, what is the
9、stereotype about imagination? （ A） It has little to do with reality. （ B） It has much to do with reality. （ C） It is fully reality-directed. （ D） It is not a random idea generator. 4 What is the value of reality-directed faculty of imagination? （ A） It tells people how to survive. （ B） It warns peop
10、le of risks and chances. （ C） It shows people how to escape from a cave. （ D） It tells people how to be away from bears. 5 What is the authors attitude towards reality-directed imagination? （ A） Positive. （ B） Negative. （ C） Neutral. （ D） Indifferent. 5 Improving hearing, especially in a loud enviro
11、nment, is just like any other skill it takes practice. The din(喧闹声 )of a loud restaurant or party can make conversation difficult for anyone but for the elderly, these settings can make it nearly impossible. The mechanics of hearing decline with age, but the latest research focuses on another part o
12、f the problem the slower processing speed of aging brains, which have to work harder to translate sound into intelligible language. Research shows that musicians are better able to pick out speech from surrounding noise as they age compared to non-musicians. And a new study of auditory training with
13、 a commercially available brain training program suggests that most people who are hard of hearing can develop the same skills. In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists showed that people trained for 40 hours over 8 weeks with Posit Sciences “Brain Fit
14、ness“ were able to pick out 41% more words from background noise compared to those who watched educational DVDs and were quizzed on their contents after the same amount of time. The authors received no funding from the makers of the program; the study was funded by the university and the National In
15、stitutes of Health. The auditory training came in the form of computerized hearing tasks that primed the participants to hear better by requiring them to identify various speech sounds and distinguish between similar sounding syllables, for example, as well as repeating words and remembering stories
16、. Both those who received the training and those who watched the DVDs were tested on short-term memory, brain processing speed and the ability to hear speech in noisy settings. All of the participants showed improvement in these measures, but for the first time, the scientists also documented that t
17、he sharper hearing was accompanied by earlier signaling in the brainstem. EEG electrodes on the head picked up this activity, which was related to how quickly the brain was distinguishing between sounds, such as language vs. background chatter. As the authors write in their paper, the training not o
18、nly improved the ability to decipher(辨认 )speech in noisy situations, it also sped up the brains ability to respond to it bringing it to more “youthful“ levels. 6 What can we learn from the third paragraph? （ A） Musicians have the best hearing ability. （ B） Musicians can filter out all noises. （ C） A
19、uditory training can help all people. （ D） Auditory training can partly improve the hearing ability. 7 What can we learn from the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences? （ A） Brain Fitness is a kind of noisy settings. （ B） Brain Fitness is a kind of auditory training. （ C） Bra
20、in Fitness is an educational DVD. （ D） Brain Fitness is the name of a magazine. 8 How was the auditory training carried out? （ A） By requiring participants to recite similar sounds. （ B） By comparing participants to those who watched educational DVD. （ C） By identifying various speech sounds and sim
21、ilar sounding syllables. （ D） By telling stories and distinguishing different syllables. 9 What does “these measures“ mean in Paragraph 5? （ A） Receiving the training and watching educational DVD. （ B） Hearing speech in noisy setting and collecting data. （ C） Speeding up the brains ability and selec
22、ting data. （ D） Showing improvement and documenting data. 10 What is the main idea of this passage? （ A） Hearing can be improved by the auditory training. （ B） Hearing can be improved by using the hearing aid. （ C） All sounds can be recognized by the auditory training. （ D） All sounds can be recogni
23、zed by making practice. 10 The population of African forest elephants plummeted 62% in the past decade. The figure comes as policymakers discuss ways to curb the ivory market at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES)meeting. Forest elephants, which
24、 often live closer to human populations, have been particularly hard-hit by ivory poachers. After declines in the elephant population last century, a 1989 international ban on ivory initially led to signs of a resurgence in the animals. Since then, anecdotal evidence and surveys taken in individual
25、parks suggested that heightened demand for ivory in China has once again led an uptick in elephant slaughters. To get a more complete picture, Maisels and a team of 60 researchers from around the world helped coordinate and assemble data from 80 individual surveys taken from 2002 through 2011 in cen
26、tral African locales. When the team crunched(进行大量运算 )the numbers, it found that just during the 10-year span covered in the new surveys, the elephant population declined by 62% and the land area inhabited by elephants dropped by 30%. Areas lacking guards, closest to roads and in countries with high
27、levels of corruption had the most elephant population decline. These numbers are a bit conservative. Because many of the surveys took place in protected areas, they could overestimate elephant populations elephants often flee into the protected zones to escape nearby poaching. Estimates on the absol
28、ute population of elephants at any given time must be taken with a grain of salt, but overall trends seen over years of sampling the same areas in a standardized way are generally more accurate. The new numbers are not surprising to conservationists who work in the area, but are needed to convince o
29、thers of the problems and provide a starting point to see the effect of future conservation efforts. The challenge now is for those countries represented at the CITES meeting, to put together new policies to curb the ivory trade. The key will be to stop the trade within China, lowering the demand fo
30、r ivory and the price. Previous programs aimed at this aspect of the market have been more successful than those specifically aiming to stop the poaching. 11 Which of the following belongs to the 1989 international ban? （ A） The ivory poaching should be curbed. （ B） Evidence and surveys should be pr
31、ovided. （ C） Individual investigation is forbidden. （ D） High level of corruption is forbidden. 12 What can we learn from Maisels survey? （ A） Hundreds of individual surveys were taken from 2002 to 2011. （ B） Elephant population declined because of climate change. （ C） The land area inhabited by ele
32、phants fell. （ D） The land area inhabited by elephants increased slowly. 13 Why are these numbers in previous surveys a bit conservative? （ A） Because some surveys underestimate the numbers of elephants in the protected areas. （ B） Because elephants often flee into the protected areas to look for fo
33、od. （ C） Because researchers could overestimate elephant populations in the protected areas. （ D） Because estimates on the absolute population of elephants must be doubtful. 14 What does “be taken with a grain of salt“(Para. 5)exactly mean? （ A） Be doubtful. （ B） Be serious. （ C） Be confused. （ D） B
34、e salty. 15 Which of the following is the best title for this passage? （ A） Plummeting African Forest Elephant Population （ B） The Prohibition of Trade With China （ C） No Protected Areas （ D） No Poaching 15 This Sunday, a handful of stars will go home empty handed from the 2014 Academy Awards show.
35、Not only will they be left with the bitter sting of defeat, but such loss may also lead to shorter life spans than the winners. Seriously. Social status has long been recognized as a predictor for poor health. Typically, research has focused on disparities(差异 )between the rich and the poor. But scie
36、nce tells us that the effect may extend to quite literally the top of social ladder. In fact, Oscar winners may also have the advantage of longevity. The finding was first noticed in 2001. Researchers from the University of Toronto studied 1 649 Oscar-nominated actors and actresses. When they accoun
37、ted for factors that could influence death rates, they found that among the participants, Oscar winners had a survival advantage of about four extra years of life, and actors who won multiple Oscars had an advantage of six years. Nominees who didnt win had the same survival rates as their non-nomina
38、ted peers. Success could possibly account for the survival advantage, the researchers say. They speculate that since stars are subjected to intense personal scrutiny(细查 ), they pay special attention to their looks and behaviors. Consequently, they may avoid risky behavior and focus more intensively
39、on eating and exercise. Not to mention, many have the means to hire nannies, trainers, and managers, which could mean they are under less stress than the general population. Of course, there are the exceptions, like Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman who died recently after an overdose. Another stu
40、dy published in the Annals of Internal Medicine questioned the methods of the 2001 study. The original study was criticized for counting the years an actor was alive, instead of comparing years after a win. They also declared winners and losers at the onset, and didnt factor in whether actors in the
41、 study won an award later on. When the new researchers re-calculated, they didnt find the numbers significant. If the findings do hold true, it could mean that there are other factors that impact survival, like a jump in social status. Looks like we will have to wait and see. 16 What can we learn fr
42、om the 2001 study? （ A） Stars who won multiple Oscars would live the longest. （ B） Nominees who didnt win would live longer than non-nominees. （ C） Nominees who didnt win lived as long as winners. （ D） Whether winning an Oscar or not had no influence on life span. 17 Why do stars tend to focus inten
43、sively on eating and exercise? （ A） Because they want to live long enough to win an Oscar. （ B） Because their trainers and managers tell them to do so. （ C） Because the public watch their looks and behaviors intensely. （ D） Because they have to stay in shape to perform. 18 Why was the 2001 study cri
44、ticized? （ A） Because it didnt account for other factors influencing death rates. （ B） Because it didnt compare the years after actors winning an Oscar. （ C） Because it considered whether participants won an award later on. （ D） Because it studied an inadequate number of Oscar-nominated actors. 19 W
45、hat did the new researchers find after they re-calculated? （ A） The finding was exactly the same as the 2001 studys. （ B） There was significant difference in the longevity of winners and nominees. （ C） There was no tiny difference in the longevity of winners and nominees. （ D） There was not much dif
46、ference in the years of winners and nominees after a win. 20 What can be inferred from the last paragraph? （ A） What affects longevity is still not clear. （ B） It is true that social status can impact survival. （ C） Oscar winners live longer due to their improved social status. （ D） Whether winning
47、an Oscar or not has no effect on longevity. 大学英语四级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 121答案与解析 Section C 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 1 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 推理判断题。由定位段可知，人们可以自由发挥想象力，甚至能运用想象力去想象一些不可能的事情，由此可推知，想象力十分强大，因此 C)为正确答案。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 2 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 推理判断题。根 据定位句内容可知，作者将在史前时代讲故事这种发挥想象力的事情和孔雀尾巴作比较，思考它们发挥的作用到底相似与否，故正确答案为 D)。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 3
48、 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 细节辨认题。由定位句可知，与惯常认识不同，想象力其实在很大程度上都以事实为导向。由此可推知，惯常认识对想象力所下的定义应与之相反，即基本上与事实无关，因此 A)为正确答案。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 4 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 细节辨认题。由定位句可知，以事实为导向的想象力是有其价值的 ，通过想象可以警示人们危险和机遇，因此 B)为正确选项。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 5 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 观点态度题。原文在提及以事实为导向的想象力时说，它能警示人们危险与机遇。由此可知作者对以事实为导向的想象力是持肯定态度的，故 A)为正确答案。 【知识模块
49、】 篇章阅读 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 6 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 细节辨认题。由定位段可知，随着年龄的增大，音乐家比非音乐家更能从嘈杂的环境中听到别人说的话，大部分听力有困难的人通过训练能够学到相同 的技能，故 D)为答案。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 7 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 推理判断题。由定位句可知，科学家在美国国家科学院院刊中的一篇报告指出，人们在经过 “大脑健康 ”训练后，能够从嘈杂的背景音中听到更多的词语，根据定位句，再结合上下文意，可以推测出 Brain Fitness应该是一项锻炼听力的训练，所以选择 B)。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 8 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 推理判断题。由定位段可知，听力训练是以计算机化的听力任务为形式，通过比如要求参与者辨认语音 及分辨类似的发音音节，或者复述词语和记忆故事，使他们有所准备从而听得更好，故 C)为正确答案。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 9 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 语义理解题。由定位句可知，这些措施是使参与者的听力都有所提高的措施，再由本段第一句可知，这些措施指的是接受了训练和看了有关教育的DVD，故 A)为答案。 【知识模块】 篇章阅读 10 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 主旨大意题。作者主要叙述了听力是可以通过练习得到改善
